Ise Shinto

During the Kamakura period, the emperor of Japan lost his power. Along with this, state funding for the Ise temple ceased. Ministers were forced to look for private sponsors who preferred to invest in the most significant people. If revered in the inner temple of Ise Amaterasu was the main deity of the imperial family, then revered in the outer temple of Toyouke was only a cook with her. Therefore, the Watarai , a clan of priests in the outer sanctuary, risked being left with nothing. At first, the Watarais began to rewrite divine history, remaining within the framework of the canonical Nihonga and Kojiki . They sought out hints, including word- level words that would link Toyouke to any character in the sacred texts. So, in the reading of Watarai, Toyouke managed to stay as a daughter, Amaterasu, one of the accompanying founders of the imperial clan Ninigi and the water deity born of Izanagi and Izanami .

Shinto Watarai was introduced to the outside world in 1285, in an atmosphere of increasing interest in everything Japanese. The Secret Records of the Names of the Gods of the Two Imperial Temples, compiled at the request of the imperial court, stated that the Buddha Dainiti and the deities of the temple of Ise have one spirit. Five previously unknown works were cited as evidence. According to the Watarai, these “most ancient scriptures of the sanctuaries and the highest sacraments of the imperial house”, allegedly discovered back in the fifth century, are more ancient works than the Nihongs and Kojiki. Therefore, they are more true. In addition to claims to the unity of spirit of the two shrines, these five works and the Secret Records also indicated that Toyouke was Ame-no Minakanushi , the first deity to appear after the separation of heaven and earth. Thus, it turned out more important than Amaterasu. Moreover, one of the five works called Toyouke not only the imperial deity Kodaizin, but also the Shining from the Heavens - Amaterasu. Thus, the word "Amaterasu" from a proper name turned into a simple title. The title was due to the fact that Toyouke is the goddess of the moon , Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun and they shine with equal brightness in the sky. Finally, in the mouth of the "real" Amaterasu, the words were enclosed that before you read it, you should honor the Toyouke sanctuary. All of the above threw the priests of the inner sanctuary into shock, from which they could not recover for almost ten years. In 1296, they filed a formal claim for the use of the word “imperial” in relation to the external temple and demanded to present the works themselves referred to by the Vatarai. However, they refused to present to the uninitiated "the greatest treasures of secrets."

However, it was simply impossible to declare Toyouke the goddess of the moon. In addition, everything that was possible was already squeezed out of Kojiki, Nihonga and other similar texts. At this point, Shinto Ryba came to the aid of Watarai. Based on it, a lot of supposedly extremely ancient texts were created, referring to each other as proof of their antiquity. The authorship of some of these secret books was attributed to such authorities as Gyogi and Kukai . Therefore, attempts to call them into question would cause not only the opposition of Watarai, but also Buddhist monks. The first serious attempts at exposure were made only in the 17th century, when the influence of Buddhism was noticeably weakened. However, if the Buddhism-oriented ryo shinto could defend its position by referring to Buddhist texts, the Watarai were deprived of this opportunity. Therefore, they invented a brilliant methodology that has served well not only to them, but also to the authors of other synth-based teachings. According to this methodology, Buddhist ideas were translated into Shinto. Further, Shinto mythology was rewritten in accordance with the result. At the same time, the Watarai Shinto completely abandoned the formula of “honji suijaku”, which implies that Japanese kami are a manifestation of Buddhas . Instead, the doctrine suggested that the buddhas and kami are indistinguishable.

The fourteenth century was marked by the influence of the teachings of the Watarai Shinto. His ideas began to appear in the works of Tendai , Shingon and Shugendo . By this time, Shinto ryba was already under the influence of the Shinto Watarai created on its basis, and these two teachings became almost indistinguishable from each other. The influence of the teaching was facilitated by the fact of support from the imperial court, which during the restoration of Kammu partially regained its former power. However, this power was weak and lasted only 60 years. In addition, the dynasty was divided into southern and northern branches . At this time, the watarai shinto received support from the southern branch. Support was associated not so much with the claims of the external temple for equality, but even the primacy over the internal, as with the integrity of the teaching. Nevertheless, the adoption of the general constructions of the Vatarai Shinto made the private interpretation of the equality of Ise temple complexes generally accepted. Moreover, these ideas fell into applied compositions of a political nature. So, for example, there are undoubted traces of the influence of Watarai Shinto in the famous work “Records of the true succession to the divine masters”. Although the author’s caution is also shown in the presentation of the relationship between the temples, expressed in attempts to avoid personal approval of this or that position by the author.

The 15th century was a disaster for learning. Playing on the split of imperial power, the shikuns of the Ashikaga clan again prevailed and gained control of the country. Soon, the Asikaga clan lost its influence and the country was divided between the warring clans. In the era of the fighting principalities, the Vatarai Shinto was left without support from the emperor, and from the shogun and from private sponsors. As a result, the teaching, as well as the entire temple complex of Ise, fell into decay. Due to lack of funding, the buildings began to collapse, and the external temple eventually burned down. Finally, the rule of the Ise temple was called into question by a new teaching called yoshida or yyutsu shinto .

• A.A. Nakorchevsky. Japan Shinto, Chapter 6 The Many Faces of Shinto: A History

• Ise Temple
• Yoshida Shinto